Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Little Monsters Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 19, 2021

It might be an interesting survey to ask people of various ages what film they remember from their childhood which revolved around kids dealing with “monsters” in their bedrooms. There might be a distinct split between, say, millennials (and/or Generation Y, depending on your nomenclature) and Generation Z. My hunch is the former might gravitate to the film currently under review, while those even just a few years younger might opt for Monsters, Inc.. There are some tethers between the two properties, even though Little Monsters is a live action film and Monsters, Inc. is famously a Disney/Pixar outing, and the kids in Little Monsters are at least a little older and more self sufficient than “Boo” was in the later film. Interestingly in that regard, it may or may not be salient to note that both films feature a monster who is decidedly blue. In the case of Little Monsters it’s an ADHD type named Maurice (a latex covered Howie Mandel), who is “haunting” a family which includes (actual real life as well) brothers Brian (Fred Savage) and Eric Stevenson (Ben Savage). The kids, along with their parents Glen (Daniel Stern) and Holly (Margaret Whitton), are new transplants to Boston, where the kids are attempting to matriculate (in more ways than one), with fitful success. The film therefore has a bit of an emotional subtext about dislocation and adjustment that is probably not evident in Monsters, Inc. The upshot of all of this is that Brian manages to “trap” Maurice and the two start forging a rather touching friendship, a friendship which is then threatened by monsters a bit more nefarious than the goofy Maurice.

Another connection between Little Monsters and Monsters, Inc. is how both films segue from kids' bedrooms (and/or homes in general) to the lair where monsters live. In the case of Little Monsters Maurice actually kinda sorta invites Brian to come "home" with him, while of course Boo is a bit of a stowaway. If Monsters, Inc. depicted a kind of almost industrial factory setting for its titular facility, Little Monsters suggests more of a carnival-esque atmosphere filled with all the "bad" things parents try to keep their kids from participating in. In another passingly interesting connection between the two films, at one point Maurice and Brian actually enter the bedroom of a Boo-like tot, with Brian reacting negatively to the thought of a baby that young being subjected to the scares proffered by monsters.

The actual "conflict" of the plot ends up involving little brother Eric, who is more or less kidnapped by the monsters, as well as a growing realization on the part of Brian that due to his visits to the monsters' lair, he is in fact turning into a monster himself. All of these elements give Little Monsters a rather distinctive emotional weight, though the film is just as prone toward juvenile humor and a focus on what can only be termed as the frenetic behavior of Maurice, in a characterization that may well unavoidably recall Beetlejuice. When Brian enlists the aid of other kids to find and retrieve Eric, the film tips over into at least relatively more rote territory, though, that said, the relationship between Brian and Maurice is touching, albeit perhaps weirdly more "important" in a way than the relationship between Brian and Eric.

Little Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Little Monsters is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films' Vestron Video Collector's Series imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.80:1. A number of issues including very noticeable wobble during the credits, recurrent if minor damage to the element, as well as the slightly odd aspect ratio make me think this has not undergone substantial restoration, though, as with most Vestron Video releases, the back cover states that this has been "remastered". Parts of this presentation actually look pretty good in my estimation, with solid densities, decent clarity and often appealing fine detail levels. But there are really a number of very noticeable fluctuations in quality throughout, with saturation, overall color temperature, and grain structure looking manifestly different even within some of the same scenes. Contrast, for example, screenshot 15 with screenshot 16, or screenshot 17 with screenshot 18 to get an idea of some of what is on display. A lot of the dark material can offer pretty chunky looking grain, and the scenes drenched in blues and/or reds can see fine detail levels falter.

Little Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Little Monsters features a spry sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The film predictably employs a number of sometimes goofily enjoyable sound effects, as when Maurice "shrinks" when light hits him, or in his introductory scene where his eyeballs pop out of their sockets. Those elements, along with David Newman's playful score and some of the more boisterous sound design in the monsters' lair all offer good opportunities which this track supports without any problems. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly, though optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Little Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Jarret Gahan, who lists a glut of credits by way of an introduction (the disc's cover and Main Menu list him as Editor in Chief of CultofMonster.com), and who provides a rather nicely conversational but fact filled assemblage of production and biographical data points.


• Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer David Newman is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.


• Call Him Maurice (1080p; 18:39) is a goofy interview with Howie Mandel.


• Beneath the Bed (1080p; 13:54) features producer Andrew Licht.


• Monsters Big & Small (1080p; 14:55) is an enjoyable interview with special make up effects creator Robert Short.


• Vintage Interviews with Actors Fred Savage, Ben Savage, Special Make Up Effects Creator Robert Short, and Director Richard Alan Greenberg (1080i; 29:02)


• Behind the Scenes Footage (1080i; 11:37)


• Making Maurice (1080i; 16:16) is more archival footage showing Howie Mandel's transformation into Maurice by two very patient make up artists. I say patient because Mandel does not stop talking throughout this arduous procedure, which of course involves copious gluing of appliances to his head and face. In that regard, and making a hopefully obvious joke, I'd argue that due to Mandel's non stop talking throughout the process, one of these dedicated artists might have wanted to utilize a phrase recently made famous in another context about just shutting up, man.


• Vintage EPK & VHS Promo (1080i; 9:19) is an incredible piece of cultural archaeology, a marketing piece keyed toward video stores making sure they'd have enough VHS copies of the film (at only $89.95 a pop, though "slightly higher in Canada") to satisfy "potential" demand. I found this absolutely fascinating in that it features the target demographic, kids, offering reviews after a screening, with the entire marketing campaign geared toward that age group who are probably in their 40s now.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:28)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 3:36)

Little Monsters Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's another maybe slightly subliminal connection between this film and Monsters, Inc. If you look at the character seen in screenshot 4, you could almost picture him (it?) as none other than Sulley, albeit in a bit of a suit. Little Monsters has a fair amount of heart, but it also has more than a fair amount of shtick courtesy of Howie Mandel's over the top histrionics. This is another cult item which will probably engender huge waves of nostalgia for those of a certain age. Video encounters some issues, but audio is fine, and as with a lot of the Vestron Video releases, the supplemental package is very enjoyable.